Dispelling nutrition myths, ranting, and occasionally, raving

Follow Friday: SugarGram

This infographic is pretty neat; especially when it comes to the mind boggling quantity of sugar in those last few items. However, some of their numbers are a little off. For example, a medium apple contains about 14 grams of sugar, not 23 (obviously this will vary somewhat depending on the size and variety of apple). It’s also important to consider that while an apple or baby carrots may contain more sugar than a single oreo cookie they also contain significantly more healthful nutrients.

4 thoughts on “Follow Friday: SugarGram”

I found this interesting, especially how whole foods (apples, bananas), have such a significant source of sugar. While this did initially look alarming, it seems I found some sources suggesting the recommended sugar is actually “added” sugar. Does this mean the sugar in whole foods do not necessarily account as the “added” sugar recommended amount? thanks.

The thing about sugar in fruit is that it comes alone with loads of other nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, fibre, and water. The problem with added sugars, especially in beverages, is that it tends not to come with nutrients, just “empty” calories. It is best to try to limit your consumption of added sugars as they can have negative effects on your blood triglycerides as well as contribute to weight gain. The WHO released guidelines on sugar consumption back in 2003. These are currently under revision. You might find this article, by NPR blog The Salt, interesting: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/01/16/169504113/cutting-sugar-consumption-helps-keep-extra-weight-off